Gerald Kelley is an American children's book illustrator. He works in an elaborate style with water color and precise detail. Kelley is known for his work on James Bowen's ''Bob the Cat'' series and ''

A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo ''A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo'' is a 2018 children's book written by Jill Twiss and illustrated by EG Keller (a pseudonym of Gerald Kelley). The book is about a fictional day in the life of Marlon Bundo, the real-life pet rabbit of forme ...

,'' a best-selling children's book written by

Jill Twiss Jill Twiss is an American writer best known for her work on the HBO show '' Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.'' She is a senior writer on the show and she portrays its "Janice from Accounting" character. She authored a children's book called '' A ...

Early life and education

Kelley was born in Texas and later moved to Florida. He earned a degree in studio art. As an illustrator, he is mostly self-taught, receiving his education from another artist. He regards

Albert Uderzo Alberto Aleandro Uderzo (; ; 25 April 1927 – 24 March 2020), better known as Albert Uderzo, was a French comic book artist and scriptwriter. He is best known as the co-creator and illustrator of the ''Astérix'' series in collaboration with Re ...

, Peter de Seve, Rien Poortvliet,

Jon J. Muth Jon is a shortened form of the common given name Jonathan, derived from "YHWH has given", and an alternate spelling of John, derived from "YHWH has pardoned".John Pike,

Victor Ambrus Victor Ambrus (born László Győző Ambrus, 19 August 1935 – 10 February 2021) was a Hungarian-born British illustrator of history, folk tales, and animal story books. He also became known from his appearances on the Channel 4 television ...

, Lisbeth Zwerger,

Brian Wildsmith Brian Lawrence Wildsmith (22 January 1930 – 31 August 2016) was a British painter and children's book illustrator. He won the 1962 Kate Greenaway Medal for British children's book illustration, for the wordless alphabet book ''ABC''. In all h ...

and

John Burningham John Burningham (27 April 1936 – 4 January 2019) was an English author and illustrator of children's books, especially picture books for young children. He lived in north London with his wife Helen Oxenbury, another illustrator. His last publis ...

as his artistic influences, as well as television cartoons and animated movies.

Career

Bob the Cat series

In 2014, Kelley illustrated two books in James Bowen's best-selling Bob the Cat series. This series started in 2013 with ''A Street Cat Named Bob,'' a book relating the real-life events of Bowen taking in a wounded stray cat, nursing him back to health, and getting over his own addictions in the process. It was followed by a sequel called ''The World According to Bob'' and children's versions of both books. The two books illustrated by Kelley are intended for young children. ''My Name is Bob'' is an imagined prequel about Bob's life prior to Bowen's first book, telling the story of how the cat ended up on the streets. In ''Bob to the Rescue,'' Bob helps a homeless puppy find its owner.

''Grover Cleveland, Again!''

In 2016, Kelley created the graphics for children's educational book ''Grover Cleveland, Again! A Treasury of American Presidents'' written by the documentary film maker

Ken Burns Kenneth Lauren Burns (born July 29, 1953) is an American filmmaker known for his documentary film, documentary films and television series, many of which chronicle United States, American History of the United States, history and Culture of the ...

' and which profiles each of the presidents of the United States. The book was included in the 2017 Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People reading list of exceptional books for use in social studies classrooms, created by the

National Council for the Social Studies The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) is a U.S.-based association devoted to supporting social studies education. It is affiliated with various regional or state level social studies associations, including: the Middle States Council ...

and the Children's Book Council. It was nominated for the 2016 Children’s and Young Adult Bloggers Literary Awards, an annual award for juvenile and children’s books that successfully combine literary merit and popular appeal.

''Please Please the Bees''

''Please Please the Bees'' (2017) was Kelley's debut as a children's writer, telling the story of a grumpy bear who learns a lesson when the honey bees in his garden go on strike, demanding improvements in their living and working conditions. It received positive reviews and garnered a 4.2 out of 5 star rating on Goodreads. It was awarded the 2017 Frances and Wesley Bock Book Award for Children's Literature, an award for books that promote a moral attitude and appeals to young children's sense of wonder and curiosity.

''A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo''

In March 2018, Kelley illustrated a children's book called ''A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo'' under the pseudonym EG Keller. The book, written by

, is about a fictional day in the life of Marlon Bundo, the real-life pet rabbit of the Vice President of the United States,

Mike Pence Michael Richard Pence (born June 7, 1959) is an American politician who served as the 48th vice president of the United States from 2017 to 2021 under President Donald Trump. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 50th ...

. The story details the same-sex romance between Marlon Bundo and another rabbit named Wesley. It was conceptualized as a loose parody of '' Marlon Bundo's: A Day in the Life of the Vice President'', written by Charlotte Pence and illustrated by

Karen Pence Karen Sue Pence ( Batten, formerly Whitaker; born January 1, 1957) is an American schoolteacher, painter, and was the second lady of the United States from 2017 to 2021. She is married to the 48th vice president of the United States, Mike Penc ...

(Mike Pence's daughter and wife, respectively). Their book also tells about a fictionalized day of the Pence family's pet rabbit, but without LGBT themes.

was launched during an episode of the satirical talk show ''

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver ''Last Week Tonight with John Oliver'' (often abridged as ''Last Week Tonight'') is an American late-night talk and news satire television program hosted by comedian John Oliver. The half-hour-long show premiered in April 2014 on HBO. ''Last Wee ...

'' with the intent to mock Pence's staunch opposition to same-sex marriage. Rather than a straight-up parody of the Pences' book, ''A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo'' is an actual children's story about marriage equality and democracy. It nevertheless contains some stabs at Mike Pence. The book became an immediate bestseller, receiving notable praise and selling much better than expected. All profits from the book are being donated to The Trevor Project and

AIDS United AIDS United is a national non-profit organization based in Washington, DC, that is dedicated to ending the AIDS epidemic in the United States. History and mission AIDS United was born out of a merger between two Washington, DC-based organization ...

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelley, Gerald Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American children's book illustrators Artists from Texas